


start of something new

by kippenlakes



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Ensemble Cast, F/M, Kissing, Love Confessions, Opening Night, Peck on the Lips II, Supportive Red, gini close friends, late night theatre at denny's, maybe the hets deserve rights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22097263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kippenlakes/pseuds/kippenlakes
Summary: It's opening night for the drama kids of East High and their production of High School Musical. To say a lot was going to happen was an understatement.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 3
Kudos: 110





	start of something new

**Author's Note:**

> it's 1:24am and i just wanted to get this out before episode 9 dropped. this also isn't proofread so pls comment any mistakes or otherwise & as both a supporter of rini and rina, the flavor in both ships is immaculate okay
> 
> enjoy!!

Teenagers were bustling about the bomb shelter, costumes and props in their arms. The energy coursing through the room was palpable; so much was happening at once and it was hard to keep track of it all. Nini looked around the bomb shelter in search of a specific person, spotting his curly brown hair and white shirt from the corner of her eye. He was talking to Carlos about certain dance moves and she couldn’t help but give a small smile at how hard he was working for this.

“Hey, can I steal Ricky for a bit?” Nini asked Carlos, avoiding the look said boy was giving her.

“Of course. We start in ten!” Carlos reminded.

Nini pulled Ricky aside as Carlos was called over to tend to last-minute choreography practice.

“What’s up?” Ricky gulped.

“Here,” Nini whispered excitedly.

Nini always gave out opening night cards to everyone, no matter what part of the show they worked on and honestly, Ricky wasn’t entirely sure he’d be getting one. Things had been tense between him and Nini ever since they broke up and he joined the musical to win her back, but with the show nearing closer and closer, things were starting to work out between them. He should’ve known better. Nini would never exclude anyone despite personal relations. Ricky was grateful to call her a friend, but he couldn’t help but long for more.

“Thanks, Nini,” Ricky said softly.

Their eyes met and seemed to stay that way for a few minutes. The possibility of Nini reciprocating his feelings consumed Ricky’s mind whenever the two shared a prolonged look, or their hands brushed together. Was it so unlikely that maybe, just maybe, Nini loved him too?

No. It was opening night-- nerves were high, emotions were all over the place, but this is the time everyone had been waiting for. And  _ so much _ work was put into this musical. 

_ I’m not going to ruin this. I can’t, not this.  _ Ricky thought,

“Places, everyone!” Miss Jenn’s voice could be heard from across the bomb shelter.

Both Ricky and Nini looked down, awkwardly chuckling before Nini lightly touched his arm.

“It’s no problem,” Nini smiled. “Break a leg.”

Ricky chuckled, “Yeah, you too.”

After giving each other one last smile, they took their places. Ricky unconsciously moved his hand to where Nini’s hand was on his arm, missing her light touch.  _ God, what is wrong with me,  _ Ricky groaned inwardly. He looked around at everyone and it was clear that they were smiling more than they ever had. Even EJ. 

It felt like he was in a movie, and this was the climax. Everything was about to happen, everything had been leading up to this. And just like in a movie, Ricky was seeing everything in slow motion. 

He looked to his best friend, who grinned and gave him a big thumbs up. Carlos was running around making sure everything was in place, but he gave Ricky a quick smile with a look in his eyes that said ‘You got this.’ Seb was beaming, it was impossible to not feel a bit better seeing him look so happy. Kourtney and Nini were talking, probably exchanging pep talks, and even Gina was here. 

Gina. Ricky thought at one point maybe they could’ve been something. The car talk the night of homecoming, singing When There Was Me and You to her, the knitted hat; there were so many moments that could’ve turned into something different. But it was always Nini.

The girl who wrote a song to tell him ‘I love you,’ the girl who gave everyone, no matter what, a card on opening night. Nini was the one person he could talk to despite everything, from kindergarten to junior year, that fact never changed. They would always sing songs together in her bedroom, play Guitar Hero at the arcade, every moment with her felt like being on cloud nine. Her talent was one in a million, but so was she. 

And Ricky Bowen was fully and totally in love with Nini Salazar-Roberts.

•••

Miss Jenn had given one of her inspirational talks of wisdom that morning at their last rehearsal, and sometimes, Ricky wonders what they did to deserve Miss Jenn. She cared so much about every single one of her kids, pushing them to do their best because she knows how much they’re capable of even when they didn’t; and she trusted him with this role. He wasn’t going to let her down. His eyes wandered around the room, searching for Miss Jenn and when he saw her, she just looked at him with a proud look that said everything.

Ricky peeked at the audience, searching for his dad. Mike was easy to spot. His dad was sitting front row, reading through the program and Ricky couldn’t help but smile. He had been nothing but supportive when Ricky joined the musical. Mike had watched all the High School Musical movies one night and would ask Ricky about specific parts of the show. It’s no secret that things had been off in the house for a while, but his dad was trying so hard. Ricky made a mental note to tell his dad he loved him more often.

Sighing deeply, Ricky took out Nini’s card from his pocket, his shaky hands opening the envelope.

_ Happy opening night, Ricky! _

_ I know a lot has happened between us, but we’ve come so unbelievably far. What we have now, I’m so grateful for it. You’re probably feeling a lot of nerves right now, but hey, I know you can do this. And you didn’t have to give someone a spoiled deviled egg to do so.  _

Ricky could imagine Nini smiling to herself, proud of that joke. He couldn’t help but let a small chuckle escape from his lips.

_ I’m so proud of you, Ricky. You used to never sing outside of your bedroom and you can  _ **_kind of_ ** _ dance now (you’re getting better, I swear!). Just know that you got this role because Miss Jenn thought you were right for it. All of us believe it, too. This may just be a high school musical (haha, get it?), but Miss Jenn was right when she said it’s the role of a lifetime. And not because I’m Gabriella or you’re Troy, but because we all gained something from this. _

_ A family. _

_ You said I was one in a million talented. You are, too. I believe in you just as much as you believe in me.  _

_ Break a leg, Ricky.  _

Ricky’s heart skipped a beat. Every emotion was coursing through him and all he wanted to do was find Nini. 

_ I love you. I love you. I love you. _

“I have to tell her,” Ricky muttered to himself. He was about to move from his spot but was stopped when the sounds of microphone feedback pierced through the gym.

“And now, please welcome East High’s Drama Department and their production of High School Musical!” Principle Gutierrez said into a microphone.

This was it. 

Ricky felt like his heart could beat out of his chest. But in all honesty, if he died right now, it would make things a lot easier. He looked up to bet met with wide, brown eyes and at that moment, he could’ve stayed like that forever. Or until the show was over, at least.

Nini noticed a small red envelope in Ricky’s hand before he put it back in his pocket, her heart rate increasingly immensely. She didn’t expect him to read it so soon. Ricky always procrastinated in everything and there was a small part of her that hoped she wouldn’t have to face him directly after he read the letter. But that was beside the point. It was opening night! She and Ricky have worked past everything that kept them from giving their all and not to mention, every person working on this production was so unbelievably passionate. This really was  _ it _ .

Nini noticed Ricky fidgeting with his hands, something he always did when he was nervous. His leg was bouncing and his eyes started darting around the room. Any person’s first show as a lead is nervewracking.

_ You can do this, Ricky. _ Nini mouthed to Ricky, giving him a reassuring look.

It’s crazy how a simple look could calm him down and Ricky remembered Nini’s card. He started off this school year with the news of his parents’ divorce and safe to say, it took a toll on him. His home felt so… empty. The only person he could talk to hated him. That is until she didn’t. 

If Nini believed in him, that was enough. More than enough, actually.

Joining the musical, although for the wrong reasons at first, turned out to give him a family. A second home, a place to go to when he had nowhere else to go. There were countless nights spent in Red’s basement playing board games, days spent lounging around singing songs and making music, and to say Ricky was grateful was an understatement.

_ Break a leg.  _ Ricky mouthed back.

They exchanged soft smiles before turning to face the audience. The lights dimmed and the gym’s makeshift curtains rose. 

Yeah, okay. This was it.

•••

“Thank you to everyone who came out tonight! Everyone give another round of applause to our amazing cast and crew!” Miss Jenn yelled into the microphone.

Everyone stood hand in hand, standing in front of the audience. As he looked into the crowd, he could see his dad cheering and clapping, somewhat more than necessary, but he couldn’t deny it filled him with a certain joy. However, the two things taking up space in his mind were the fact that he was holding hands with Nini and that the drama kids of East High just put on about the best production ever. It was exhilarating.

Nini turned her head to look at him. “Hey.”

Ricky faced her, grinning so wide. 

She knew Ricky was so immensely proud at this moment. From the rough beginnings of the drama club, amidst the obstacles they faced, everything had led up to this moment. Miss Jenn looked at the kids with so much joy, it was difficult to not feel proud.

“Nini! We just- We did-” Ricky struggled to speak coherently from adrenaline.

“Yeah, we did!  _ You  _ did it, Ricky.”  _ God, she loved him so much. _

This only made Ricky’s smile grow.

“Okay, children. This is where you take a bow,” Miss Jenn gestured.

And as they bowed, opening night was over. A couple more performances and that’d be it. To see months of preparation pay off, it meant more to every single person who worked on the musical than they could express.

The audience slowly trickled out of the gym, but Mike ran up to Ricky and gave him a tight hug. From the corner of his eye, he could see Nini’s parents do the same, as well as the parents of his castmates. “I’m so proud of you, Rick.”

Ricky buried his face into his dad’s shoulders and held on tighter. “Thanks, dad.”

Nini smiled at the sight of Ricky and his dad as her moms ran screaming up to her. Nini started laughing when she was engulfed by an attack of hugs. Her grandma stood a little farther away, waiting to give her granddaughter a hug. 

“You did so well, baby,” Carol held the sides of Nini’s face, to which her daughter responded by relaxing into the touch.

“Thanks, momma,” Nini beamed while hugging her grandmother.

“You’re going to the cast dinner, right?” Dana asked.

“Yeah, I’ll call when it’s done,” Nini replied. Nini’s moms and grandma said goodbye and left the gym, quickly followed by Ricky’s dad. 

Miss Jenn told everyone to bring all the props and costumes backstage and stay because she had to talk to all of them. By the time the gym was cleared, everyone was beat. It was late and Denny’s was just calling their names. Ricky and Nini sat together at the piano, waiting for Miss Jenn to say what she wanted to say.

Miss Jenn cleared her throat, quieting everyone down before tears started welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. “I am so unbelievably proud of you kids right now. You have truly done High School Musical justice, and even beyond that. This beautiful thing we call theatre… it thanks you. Now, I know it’s late so get home, get some rest. Be proud of yourselves, just as I am proud of you. And this concludes East High’s opening night of High School Musical.”

The drama club erupted into cheers, high-fiving each other exchanging hugs. 

While most of the production members went home, the cast was left along with Kourtney and Red. It had been decided weeks ago that they would all go to Denny’s after opening night for a late meal. 

EJ and Red were providing transportation and once everyone got there, the table was filled with pancakes, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and various breakfast foods. It would be a lie to say they weren’t loud but what matters is, the family created by this show were together and truly enjoying themselves.

“That was… amazing!!” Gina exclaimed. 

“We’re so happy you made it back, Gin,” Nini squeezed her shoulder. Gina gave her a meaningful look, leaning into the touch.

“All of you guys were showstopping, seriously,” Kourtney said.

“We owe that to your makeup and costumes, Kourt,” Seb reasoned. “You make us feel confident.”

Kourtney silently thanked Seb, afraid that if she said anything, she’d start crying. In the beginning, the last thing Kourtney expected was to become so attached to the cast and show. 

“And all the dancing! I couldn’t have imagined it turning out any better,” Carlos said proudly. “Especially Ricky and EJ, there was some fear there, I'll admit.”

Both boys made faces of mock offense while bursts of laughter filled the diner. 

“You know what, we deserve that,” EJ shrugged.

“Yeah, we do,” Ricky scoffed. “I don’t know how we managed, dude.”

Ricky and EJ made eye contact before chuckling along with the others.

“I spent three weeks on a paper mache basketball,” Red commented.

There was a moment of silence before everyone started laughing, once again.

“And we very much so appreciate it,” Ashlyn reassured. 

“Seriously, guys. Thank you for one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Ricky smiled, lifting up his water cup into the air. “What team?”

Everyone followed suit, clinking them together. “Wildcats!”

The rest of the night was filled with reflecting on the past few months, talk of the spring show, and just pure and unfiltered joy.

•••

As it neared closer and closer to midnight, Denny’s slowly emptied until the only people left were Red, Ricky, and Nini. EJ had taken most everyone else home, leaving the trio to themselves. The air became cold and crisp, accompanied by the wind; which wasn’t welcomed at all. The entire night, Ricky and Nini danced around each other, although both of them knew there was much to talk about. As the three exited, the breeze bit at their skin.

The parking lot was lit by one streetlight, the ground wet and muddy from the earlier downpour. The three stood together in silence for a little while. It had been a while since all of them had spent time together and during the cast dinner, Nini didn’t realize how much she had missed Big Red’s company. Nini stared off into the street until she heard Red’s voice.

“I’m gonna go warm up the car and start the engine. Just come whenever you guys finish… um whatever you need to finish,” Red shuffled away, but not before Ricky gave him a grateful look.

Ricky and Nini faced each other, struggling to find the words to say what each of them meant.

“I-”

“We-”

“Sorry. You go first,” they said simultaneously.

Ricky chuckled awkwardly, “You go first.”

Nini gulped. “I saw you read the card. A-And I did mean what I wrote. You did something you never saw yourself doing today and  _ crushed  _ it. Things have been good recently, and I don’t want that to change. I missed you.”

Nini took a small step closer to Ricky, her eyes meeting his.

Ricky started fidgeting, making eye contact with anything and everything except with Nini. “I-I’ve been trying to say this for a while. And you deserved to hear this  _ way  _ before this,” Ricky paused, his eyes flickering down to Nini’s lips momentarily, “I love you. And I know what you’re going to say but nothing had to change and I don’t know, but I also can’t be the only one of us that’s noticed how what it’s been like. Like-”

“-before,” Nini finished, her voice full of longing. She glanced at her feet before staring straight at Ricky. “Tonight, there was someone from the Youth Actors Conservatory. Kourtney called the school and told them about me…” 

“Wow,” Ricky said, deafening silence trailing his short comment. “Well, they’d be stupid not to accept you. I said it before Nini, you’re one in a million talented, it’s crazy.”

“Is it even crazier to say that when I found out, I was nervous, sure, but I couldn’t help but feel excited?”

“That’s not crazy at all! This is huge, Nini!” 

Ricky grabbed both of her hands unconsciously, but when both of them realized what had happened, neither made the move to let go. Nini told Ricky about the conservatory, giving him somewhat of a warning: that if something were to happen between them again, there was a possibility of an obstacle, a very large one at that, getting in the way. Ricky didn't care.

A faint blush painted both of their cheeks and moments passed before Ricky spoke once more, “I love you, Nini Salazar-Roberts. I never stopped, and I’m sorry I ever made you feel like I did.”

Ricky looked at Nini, expecting her to say something,  _ hoping  _ for her to say  _ anything.  _ Nini knew what Ricky wanted. Hell, it was what she wanted, too. “I never fell out of love with you, Ricky. But we have a lot to talk about, a lot to figure out. And-”

“Can I kiss you?” Ricky interrupted, Nini’s eyes widening immediately.

Fear struck Ricky.  _ Did I ruin yet another thing? _ He wondered, but then Nini nodded slightly, a small smile replacing the look of panic on her face before.

So Ricky did. He leaned in, his hands moving to Nini’s waist. It took only a moment for Nini to kiss back, her own hands moving to the side of his face as she sighed into the kiss. Ricky felt one hand move to the nape of his neck, entangling in his curls. 

The kiss didn’t last long before Ricky pulled away, a smug grin plastered on his face. Nini recognized that face as that one he always made before he was going to tell a joke. 

“I think I kinda you know,” Ricky whispered.

Nini rolled her eyes but leaned into his touch. “I think I kinda you know, too.”

Ricky’s smug face turned into one of pure happiness, Nini’s smile giving Ricky’s a run for his money. She gave the curly-haired boy a quick peck before walking off to Red’s car, leaving a stunned Ricky behind. The sound of his footsteps could be heard only a few moments later.

"You can't just do that!" Ricky exclaimed. Nini kept walking, but she couldn't keep a smile off her face.

When the two entered Red’s car, the redhead had a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Yes, Red?” Ricky asked, jokingly annoyed.

“Nothing,” his best friend shrugged as he started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

As soon as the boys dropped Nini off at her house, Ricky struggled to stay silent. He kept looking over at Red, who kept quiet and smiled. Ricky was sleeping over at Red’s tonight, after finally getting used to the CPAP machine and jungle noises. 

When they were about ten minutes from the Redanovich household, Red slyly peeked over at Ricky, who was staring straight ahead at the road. “Okay, tell me what happened.”

“Finally!” Ricky groaned.

Even as the boys went inside the house, Ricky was still telling the details of the night with such vigor and excitement that Red couldn’t do anything but listen.

Until it got too late and he had to tell Ricky ‘Shut up and go to sleep. You’re louder than my CPAP machine.'

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading, ricky and nini are the only hets with rights and i stand by this statement


End file.
